The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for transformation of different structured signals of different track guidance systems for automatic control of a steering device in agricultural working machine.
Different track guidance systems for agricultural machines are offered by different manufacturers. These track guidance systems are partially integrated as fixed components in an agricultural working machine. On the other hand, not all land machines are designed with track guidance systems, in particular older models belong to this group. There is therefore a practical requirement, to equip land machines without track guidance systems with a freely selectable track guidance system as well as to complete the track guidance systems available in the land machines by further track guidance systems for increasing the accuracy of the track guidance.
European patent document EP 1 266 553 A2 discloses a device for automatic steering of an agricultural working vehicle, with a control device that receives a first position signal and a second position signal, as well as a nominal path information which defines the covered path. In addition, from the first and second position signals, a selection can be made to determine the most accurate signal. Due to the determined data, an automatic steering of the agricultural working vehicle is performed. As a positioning system, satellite signals of the global positioning system are utilized. A further positions signal is recovered by the utilization of the laser scanning sensors. The laser scanning sensors determine the relative position of the crop stand edge and orient the land machine in correspondence therewith.
The device for steering an agricultural working machine disclosed in the patent document EP 1 266 553 A2 provides however at least two available track guidance systems. The disadvantage of this solution is in particular its high costs which must be invested by the purchaser of these two different systems. In particular, the GPS supported track guidance system is a very cost-intense system. The possibility of uniting of the older systems with the control unit is also not provided, so that the disclosed system can not be used for all land machine models. The post-equipment of the available system can be performed only by a complete exchange and installation of the correspondingly required software. This expensive post-equipment requires at least an intervention in the available steering control system on each land machine to be post-equipped.